Railroad-crossing.



W. M. BAUM.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13. 1918.

1,292,233. Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

44 M I? M" V I l/Vl/E/VTUR 2 W! TN 9 r TED STATES PATENT onnron.

WILLIS M. BAUM, OF SAUGUS, CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS M. BAU'M, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saugus, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Crossing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railroad crossmgs, in which the gap in the intersection of the rails is closed in one direction, while gaps through the intersections of the rails in the other direction are open.

One object of this invention is to provide a shockless crossing.

Another object is to provide a noiseless crossing.

Another object is to provide plugs in the gaps in the intersection of the rails in a crossing for closing the gaps in the intersections'when desired.

Another object is to provide a cam below each of such plugs for shifting the plugs to a position closing the gaps in the intersection of'rails' or opening the gaps to allow the passing of a train through the crossing without causing any shock to the train, or any noise while the train is passing through the crossing.

Another object is to provide proper operating means for such plugs and cams.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims, as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a plug in closing position in relation to the rails and the operating cam. V

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the railroad crossing showin the gaps in the pavement of a street or p ace where such crossing is located.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail side elevation of the operating means for operating the cams in my dev ce.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the operating means of my device assembled.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail section through the plugs and the cam in my device slightly modified, showing a connec tion between the plugs and cams.

In Fig. 1, 6 designates the plug vertically slidably mounted, in each intersection of the rails in a crossing, making eight plugs to a crossing of two rails crossing two other rails. 7 designates the ends of two rails in a crossing, leaving a gap 8 to allow the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed February 13, 1918. Serial No. 216,983.

flanges of car wheels to pass crosswise over such rail. Eight such gaps are normally in one crossing, as will be easily understood from Fig. 2, where 9 designates the gaps in the crossing in one direction, while 10 designiates the gaps in the crossing in the direction crosswise to the first direction.

If a train is passing through the crossing in Fig. 2 in the direction from the rails 11 over the short rails 12 toward the rails 13, the gaps 10 naturally should be filled up to carry the car wheels over from the rails 11 to 12 and from 12 over to 13 without any shock or noise, and the gaps 9 should naturally be open to allow the passage of the wheel flanges throu h the crossing in the indicated direction. train or car passing in another direction from the rails 14 over the short rails 15 toward the rails 16, or in opposite direction, naturally requires a closing of the gaps 9 and a free passage through the gaps 10, as will easily be un derstood.

I prefer to have the plugs 6 slidable for vertical movement in such gaps, and for convenient operation of the plugs I prefer to have the' cams 17 on the shafts 18, see Fig. 1. A quarter turn of the shaft 18 from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the position indicated in dotted lines at 19 causes the plugs 6 to drop down a suitable distance to allow the flanges of car wheels to pass over the rails or through the crossings. The cam standing in a position as illustrated in Fig. 1 allows a car wheel to pass over the gap between the ends of the rails in a crossing as over a continuous rail.

In Fig. 4 a cam 17 b is provided on each end of the shafts 18 the cams on the opposite shafts 18 projecting upwardly, while the cams 17 on the other two shafts 18 project sidewardly, so that car wheels could pass in a direction over the rails 11 and 12 to 13 either way, having a free passage through the gaps 9 and a closed gap 10 for supporting wheels in this direction. For automatically operating the plugs suitable operating means are illustrated in Fig. 3, in which figure the shaft 18 is provided with arms or levers 20, to which the connecting link 21 is pivotally connected. The end 22 of bar 23 is pivotally connected to the free end of the connecting link'21, it being pivotally supported at 24, and having a vertically disposed bar 25 connected to the free end 26. The upper end 27 of the bar 25 projects into the path of the Fig. 3 passing along a rail, naturally presses the tread piece 28 down, thereby transmit ting such pressure to the bar 25, this causing the end ofthe bar 23 toswingaround'th pivot support 24l-to cause the end 22 to move in. an upwardly direction, thereby turning the shaft 18, bringingthe cam-17 to the po'- sition indicated in dottedlines at"19-in Fig.

1. The opera-ton of the cam in the described manner allows a dropping of the plug 6- alongside of-that rail near which thetread 28 'is'located, while the plugs disposedso as to forma CODtlIIUOUSilGEICllD this'same rail remain in the top or closing position. In single crossings there will of'coursebe such opera-ting means for operatingthe shafts incither direction, while'in double crossings there being four rails crossing'four rails, it will naturally require only one such operatingjmeans for each pair of rails. That means four operating means to a single crossing as well as four operating. means to a double crossing.

For operating these crossings under the solenoid system the shafts 18' and 18" naturally will have other levers 31 for connecting the solenoids 32 and '33 as illustrated in Fig; 4:. In this figure the solenoid'33 is shown in a position under operation, hav

ingcaused the turning of spider 34:, therebyturning: two shafts with a cam projecting np- \vardly, while two shafts are turnedbringlng the cams projecting sidewardly, as explained above. An. operation of the solenoid 32 causes a movement of the spider 34 in the opposite direction, so as to turn the shafts 18 to a position to bring the cams 17 'to an upwardly-projecting position, While the shafts 18 are turned so as to bring the cams 17 to projecting sidewardly, as Wlll easily 7 beunderstood.

which the plugs 6 can be turned downwardly out of the gap by the cam 18, the cam-18- five cents each; by addressing the-Uommis'sionernf Patents? Washington; Di C."

Foroperating thiscrossing under the plug systembars 35 are also connected to the levers 31for turning the shafts 18 and 18" in a-similar manner asdescribed above.

Fig. 5 illustrates a detail-construction by Copies of this patent may be obtained for 1; In a railroad crossing.ofLthe-classdc scribed, in :combination with plugs;- disposedin thegaps in. the 'intersections'of the rails in such crossing, .ofirotzltingcams disposed below the plugs for: operating thezpli tgsso as to slide vertically in the gaps:

2."In' a railroadrrossing of the class described, in combination :with plugs-disposed in the gaps in the intersectionsbf the rails in suchicrossing for-vertically slidab'le :movement, shafts disposed below the-rails;and

cams providedfon' the shaftsbelow the plugs for operating the plugs in such vertical movement, by the turningimovement of the shaft and the-jcanr'.

In a railroad crossing :of the-class as scribed, in combinationawithitplugs' disposed:

in s the gaps in :the intersections of therails in such crossing for-vertically:slidaible moves ment, shafts disposed below thesrails; cams provided on: the shafts below tlfeplugs, and:

operating means; for op'eratin'g thepl-ugs insuch" vertical movement througlr the' turning:

ofthe cams on "the shafts 4. In a railroad crossing'of thewclasszsde scribed aplugin each of-the-gaps in thefintersections ofthe rails' in thecrossing, apanr suitably disposed in relation to f each of the plugs for operating. the plugs to the desired. position in- (relation to: the the crossing, operating means connected to :each' cam forautom'atica-lly operating the? cams cams for manually operating the cams,.., all substantially as described? In testimony whereof I =hereunto -my-' signature in the presence of twowitnessesi;

BAJIMEL Witnesses:

O'rro H. Knnnenn," Prince- A. PARKER? when car' W -heels pass th roughhth e :cro'ssing,.',1 00 V and other operatingqmeansnonnected to the-- 

